bleaching maze brain help!

[kinghokus420]

howdy all, I'm having some issues with my tank as of late.. my newest addition a maze brain is bleaching and my tank is getting overrun with hair algae. i didn't get any hair until the coral started bleaching. I'm sure i put in too intense of light too soon (lesson learned). all of my parameters that i have test kits for are still reading good (0)except my alk which is a bit low at 7. i moved the coral into a cave and that seems to have slowed the bleaching but it does look worse and worse each day. is it a goner or is their any hope? and is the hair and bleaching related? will the brain release badness into the water? i am running PhoSar in a filter sock in the sump, i have a hob on the tank with carbon, and plenty of flow.

 

[cecilio]

hi
imo you need more flow it will keep algae away also chek your phosphate levels, and more important silicates levels

 

[saltyfishtanks]

dude sorry bout the brain i had a montapora plate coral half bleach and now it has fully recovered and is more colorful and stunning than ever! dont lose hope

i also had a boulder coral not maze but the other kind doing horrible bleaching around the edges and receding and now it is aslo thriveing

I would recomend raiseing your calcium and getting ph and alk slightly higher than normal but just slightly 8.4-8.6 seems to be best for my stonys

kalkwasser is most likely the best addition to your reef for long term success with stony corals

 

[kinghokus420]

i have about 25-30x turnover but who knows more is always better. my cal is 400. i do have a jar of mrs wages i was just hesitant to use it, due to only having 4 corals in the tank. shrooms, xenia, frogspawn, and the brain. ph is at 8.4

 

[saltyfishtanks]

dude i dont know what ms wages is the only thing i put in my reef is top off water water changes and kalkwasser at half potentcy

my method is a little wild but i works for me i never test anything too frustrating test kits are crap for the most part

the only thing i do is top off my tank with half potentcy kalk for a week and then just water for a week and this seems to be the best thing for me \

do not dump in kalkwasser let it drip in all day slowly and u will not regret it

 

[tatuvaaj]

kinghokus420,

You said you put the bleached coral into a cave... does it still get light there? Even bleached corals need some light, otherwise they can't regrow the zooxanthelles they lost.

 

[Woodstock]

i have about 25-30x turnover but who knows more is always better. my cal is 400. i do have a jar of mrs wages i was just hesitant to use it, due to only having 4 corals in the tank. shrooms, xenia, frogspawn, and the brain. ph is at 8.4

You have PLENTY of turnover. For algae issues a high alk seems to inhibit its growth but you really need a po4 absorbing media that is iron based (dark red color). I use phosban with great results.

Mrs. Wages pickling lime = calcium hydroxide and makes an awesome kalkwasser mixture. I've used pickling lime for years to make my kalkwasser for all top offs. I use 1-2 tsp per gallon fresh water. This mixture is then dosed to my sump via an auto top off. It is awesome stuff and I highly recommend it. Be sure to monitor your calcium and alk.

My brain (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi) bleached a few weeks after I got it but bounced right back. I think they are slow to acclimate to stronger lighting. It also needs to be fed! I feed mine 2-3 times per week with krill, homemade mush, or silversides.

I have also noticed that high alk (9-10) is best for all of my corals.

 

[kinghokus420]

thanks, for the replies, im using phoSar for the phosphates instead of getting a phos reactor. i found it in a post boomer made a few weeks ago, trhe cave it is in is not totally dark, it does get some light though more reflective light than direct. this brain has no soft fleshy parts at all, the whole thing is "hard" i havent seen anything resembling a mouth anywhere, it seems to be an encrusting typt of coral. heres a before pic..its still doing ok here. its all of the brown/orange ribs that are bleaching, the grey/blue area still looks ok

 

[Woodstock]

Nice Maze brain! Try feeding it small foods when its feeder tenticles are out; usually night time or first thing in the morning before the lights come on.